Instant Kill

It was nearing noon when Yuan left Ling's residence.

After seeing the Gentle Fist secret technique performed once, Uchiha Yuan had already learned it.

But learning it was one thing; being able to use it was another.

Without the Byakugan bloodline limit, he could not observe the body's acupuncture points.

The Gentle Fist Yuan performed had all the form but none of the substance, looking like someone pulling noodles at Haidilao.

Still, obtaining the Byakugan bloodline limit could not be rushed. His Gene Fusion devouring ability was temporarily dormant, so he could only wait for another opportunity.

"Uchiha Yuan! What a coincidence. I never expected to run into you here."

Without even turning around, Yuan knew Anko was the one greeting him. Few people liked calling her by her full name, especially with that highly distinctive voice.

"Ah, Anko. What a shame it isn't a coincidence. If you'd pretended not to notice me, I would've pretended not to see you too."

This time, Yuan had no intention of giving Anko the chance to take a jab at him first.

The first to speak gained the upper hand; the one who opened their mouth later suffered.

As expected, he dodged Anko's incoming punch and smiled.

"It's noon anyway. Let's eat first."

The Three-Colored Dumplings at Konoha Dumpling Shop were famous throughout the village. Ninjas of the same generation often gathered here to relax between missions.

Yet there were unexpectedly few customers today.

As a result, Anko bought an extra-large portion of dumplings and ate with great delight. To be honest, her table manners were not exactly refined.

"Hm? Uchiha Yuan, are you badmouthing me in your head?"

"Look at this. Our little junior sister is so muddled that she's insulting herself in her own head, then pinning it on me."

"I'm insulting myself? What did I say?"

Stuffing dumplings into her mouth, Anko's question came out muffled.

Sometimes, Uchiha Yuan rather envied his little junior sister.

She ate when she wanted, drank when she wanted, and never let anything weigh on her mind.

That carefree way of living was a ray of light amid the cracks of the ninja world.

Perhaps besides valuing the Senju Clan and Uzumaki Clan bloodlines she had inherited, their teacher Orochimaru also did not dislike her optimistic nature.

"Yuan-nii? Do you like dumplings too?"

Behind him came Uchiha Izumi's timid voice.

With dumplings in one hand and a scroll in the other, she had not forgotten to study even while eating.

"Who is she?" Anko had never met Izumi.

"My adopted little sister."

"Adopted little sister? How is that different from a junior sister?"

"Maybe junior sisters get fat..."

"Get lost!"

The partial petrification in his left hand gradually faded with time.

By the time it could move normally again, half a year had passed.

During that time, Yuan and the three members of Orochimaru Squad reopened Laboratory Number Four. Their research direction was Lifeform Replication—in other words, cloning technology.

The director of Konoha Hospital, who also oversaw technical development and research, came by to check on their progress.

When he learned that it was the creation of Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, even he developed a keen interest.

It was said that he intended to report it upward and let the Third Hokage decide whether to increase the investment.

In his spare time, Yuan also taught Uchiha Izumi with great care. By now, his adopted little sister had developed her Sharingan to Two-Tomoe.

Although her strength had improved considerably, the girl seemed rather dissatisfied.

Because she was somewhat weaker in academic subjects, she always ranked below Uchiha Itachi in the tests.

Izumi had no complaints about this. She simply asked Yuan for guidance with patience.

Over the past half year, Yuan's battle instincts had advanced by leaps and bounds.

Within the Illusion Space, he used Multiple Shadow Clone for devilish training, turning every combat technique into instinct and engraving it into his memory.

As things stood in Hidden Leaf Village, Yuan did not know the true extent of the Third Hokage's strength.

Against any of the Sannin, he was confident that even if they could defeat him, they would not get away unscathed.

As for elite jonin, Yuan believed they would likely regard him—someone who had mastered numerous Forbidden Jutsu—as a nightmare.

Even so, Uchiha Yuan had something giving him a headache.

He had always coveted the Yin Nine-Tails sealed within the Shinigami Mask at the Mask Storage Temple, but because of ANBU surveillance—

For the past half year, Yuan had forcibly restrained his urge to scout the place.

Fortunately, his left hand had now recovered. Not only could he use ninjutsu normally again, but joining the Police Force was something Fugaku had promised him long ago.

He would use patrol duty as an opportunity to secretly learn the layout of the Mask Storage Temple and obtain the Shinigami Mask that sealed Minato Namikaze's soul and the Yin Nine-Tails.

Yuan had already put all of this on his agenda.

Thinking of that, he sighed.

The only regret was that Orochimaru was obsessed with researching Kirigakure bloodline limits in Sea Country and had no interest whatsoever in tackling the difficult problem of how to undo the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.

However, Uchiha Yuan remembered the general steps. If his attempt failed, he planned to visit the ruins of Whirlpool Country.

Since Sealing Technique had originated from the Uzumaki Clan, he might be able to find clues there.

On this day, after school, Uchiha Itachi hurriedly finished his homework and happily arrived at the training ground.

Ever since the clan had relocated from its territory to the edge of the village, the expressions of the adults around him had grown more solemn by the day.

Itachi vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

But he was still too young to understand the conflicts between the Konoha Higher-Ups and his clan. All he could do was devote himself to training.

His brutal experiences on the battlefield had taught him that only the strong, only those who survived, had the right to think.

Bang!

A shuriken thrown in the opposite direction curved in a figure-eight arc and struck the bullseye placed behind a tree.

Itachi had always envied Yuan's beautiful shuriken technique, but he had heard Shisui say that it was unique to Yuan. No matter how much one trained or imitated it, it could not be learned.

Matching Brother Yuan in shuriken technique had also become Itachi's dream after entering the Ninja Academy.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After spinning three hundred and sixty degrees in the air, the kunai she threw precisely struck the tree trunk and the bullseye placed at its roots.

Uchiha Izumi took a deep breath and turned to look at Itachi.

"Itachi, want to have a match? I won't use my Sharingan."

"Let's fight! Use it or don't use it, it's up to you."

No longer the gloomy child he once was, Itachi had become more lively. He immediately formed the sign of confrontation with Izumi.

Shisui was very strong, and Brother Yuan was even more unfathomable. Although sparring with them taught him a great deal, he could never truly gauge himself.

Itachi could only treat Izumi as a trial opponent.

During Nine-Tails Night, he had seen this little girl crying her eyes out.

She had seemed soft and weak, not particularly likable.

Itachi had only been willing to spar with Izumi because he heard she was Yuan's disciple. Otherwise, he would have considered it a waste of time.

After all, during his time at the academy, Itachi had not only earned perfect scores in every subject, but had also mastered the Three Body Technique and could even skillfully perform the Great Fireball Technique.

In taijutsu, he considered himself stronger than the slight and frail Izumi as well.

The two children's standoff quickly caught Uchiha Yuan's attention—or rather, this was exactly what he had hoped to see.

"Ready! Begin!"

At the command, the two small figures instantly charged toward each other.

A few seconds later, the more robust Itachi lay on the ground with a bewildered expression.

Izumi held his forehead, with the top of her foot pressed beneath the back of his head.

The gap in force from their head-on clash had led to Itachi's instant and complete defeat.

"This is the difference in Chakra application." Izumi did not become complacent because of her victory.

The moment she made contact with Itachi, she unleashed Chakra more precisely to increase her speed. The sudden impact threw Itachi off balance, allowing her to subdue him.

Yuan was not surprised by this at all.

Itachi's talent was exceptional, whether in training, schoolwork, or effort.

But compared with Izumi, he lacked the most crucial thing for a ninja: practical combat skills.

After all, this girl trained even in her "dreams."

"So, isn't a six-year Ninja Academy program a little too long?"

"Does teaching the Three Body Technique, academic subjects, and basic ninja qualities really require that much time?"